VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis extended a hand to those who don't belong to any religion, urging them on Wednesday to work with believers to build peace and protect the environment.

In his first ecumenical meeting, the new pope greeted representatives from Christian churches and other religions, including Jewish and Muslim leaders, who had come to Rome to attend his inaugural Mass on Tuesday.

Francis said that he intends to follow "on the path of ecumenical dialogue" set for the Roman Catholic Church by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

But he also reached out to those who don't belong "to any religious tradition" but feel the "need to search for the truth, the goodness and the beauty of God."

Francis echoed his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, saying that the "attempt to eliminate God and the divine from the horizon of humanity" has often led to catastrophic violence.

But Francis, who has set a humbler tone to the papacy since his election on March 13, added that atheists and believers can be "precious allies" in their efforts "to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation."

Francis also stressed the "very special spiritual bond" between Catholics and Jews.

"There is no doubt that Catholic-Jewish relations will go from strength to even greater strength during Pope Francis's pontificate," said Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, after meeting with Francis.

Earlier on Wednesday, the pope met privately with the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

According to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Bartholomew and Francis are planning a joint visit to Jerusalem in 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras.

That meeting led to the cancellation of the reciprocal excommunications between the leaders of western and eastern Christianity in 1054, otherwise known as the "Great Schism."

Bartholomew attended Francis' inauguration on Tuesday, the first Patriarch to do so in over 900 years.

Our little pro-life group has one atheist, and I tell him he’s our secret weapon. People wonder what he’s doing there? He just SEES that abortion is wrong. Don’t need no dogma. Makes them think maybe, since they can’t brush him off as a religious clinger.

Francis also stressed the "very special spiritual bond" between Catholics and Jews.

"There is no doubt that Catholic-Jewish relations will go from strength to even greater strength during Pope Francis's pontificate," said Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, after meeting with Francis.

"Rosen, one of only a select few Jews to have received the Papal Knighthood, was among twelve Jewish leaders from Argentina, Israel, Italy and the U.S. invited to the installation and todays private audience with the Pope."

But the lies have been spread so thick, so effectively in the past century, that any sincere Christian who writes off those who have not yet seen is completely ignorant of Christ's message, and charge.

Pointing out that the majority of Catholic voters and atheist voters both vote democrat, doesn’t attack you as a person or as a catholic, it is about voting, and it sure doesn’t call for internet threats, it is ordinary voting data.

You didn’t know that the Catholics vote with the atheists?

22
posted on 03/21/2013 9:41:12 PM PDT
by ansel12
(" I would not be in the United States Senate if it wasnt for Sarah Palin " Cruz said.)

The majority of atheists, and the majority of Catholics, vote for the democrat party, “The Catholics in America already vote with the atheists, and already clearly share the agenda of the democrat party and of the left.”.

That is just a political reality and of great concern to conservatives or will be if they find out about it, especially in view of more mass Catholic immigration.

We can educate conservatives and pro-lifers, and the many Catholics here on the truth of the Catholic vote, and what Catholic immigration means in regards to saving the lives of the unborn and preserving conservatism in America....if that is our goal.

30
posted on 03/21/2013 10:16:45 PM PDT
by ansel12
(" I would not be in the United States Senate if it wasnt for Sarah Palin " Cruz said.)

So if an atheist votes for your candidate, you're voting with atheists.

When an overwhelming majority of atheists (and militant anti-theists) vote for a certain candidate or Party, and one votes for that same certain candidate or Party, then it can be rationally said, one IS voting WITH the atheist voting block.

Now there could be more to the story concerning Catholic voting patterns...but still...given the above conditions...there is no way to escape the given aspect.

More than half of the overall Roman Catholic vote consistently goes to Democrats. In one primary aspect, there's really no if's, ands, or buts about it, tough guy.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying you yourself are aligned with atheists, but around half of the RC vote IS aligned with them. The Mexican immigrants get gimme's and immigration crumbs like the Dream Act, put into effect by Executive fiat, even though both the Senate and House rejected it (it didn't make it into law).

Hispanic voters went over to Obama in big numbers. Many or most were at least nominally RC. Hispanic Catholics voted overwhelmingly for Obama, even as "white" RC'ers in this last election, voted close to 60% for Romney, but then again Paul Ryan, a RC adherent, was on the ticket, too.

It wasn't enough to convince Hispanics to vote for long term interests (or even much see those)...save for the growing Reconquista contingent & sentiment among Hispanic immigrants (the word Reconquista itself, has RC origins, but is being presently reapplied by Mexicans wanting to "take back" California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) which subset of the "Mexican immigrant vote" DID vote their own personal long term interests, which includes a partial take-down of America as we know it, and all the "free money" they can get in the meantime.

32
posted on 03/21/2013 11:57:51 PM PDT
by BlueDragon
(the beatings will continue until morale improves)

Francis...what has light got to do with darkness? Mix them and you just get an ugly, muddy shade of gray. The Lord is not a compromiser. As Joshua said: Who is on the Lord’s side? Either choose one way or the other, but you cannot have it both ways. Francis should know this.

My guess is that you know that the “Catholic vote” means the majority of Catholic voters, not each and every single individual, but maybe I take too much for granted in thinking that you would know that.

38
posted on 03/22/2013 11:41:38 AM PDT
by ansel12
(" I would not be in the United States Senate if it wasnt for Sarah Palin " Cruz said.)

Generally, when someone says “Catholics vote Democratic.” or similar without a qualifier of “a majority of” or “some” or whatever, I take them at their word. Considering the hostility of a large majority of Protestants towards Catholics, I consider it wise to do so.

Yikes...he sounds like the head of the United Nations, hooked on globalism, unicorns and lollipops..

Um, no. Pope Francis has seen the disastrous results of the workings of the ultra-right, with the Argentine Govt., and of the ultra left, with the Communists in Latin America, and some of his Jesuit brothers working with them. He is not interested in over-arching government. He has also seen more grinding poverty than any in his country will ever know, and knows that it isn't something God wants for those people.

He is also of the belief that the world God has given us is precious, and we shouldn't destroy it with unbridled pollution and wastefulness. We should be good stewards of God's creation.

"Pope Francis has seen the disastrous results of the workings of the ultra-right, with the Argentine Govt., and of the ultra left, with the Communists in Latin America, and some of his Jesuit brothers working with them. He is not interested in over-arching government."

I'm still trying to get Pope Francis' perspective on a prevailing ideology down south - Social Justice. I believe your opinion is that he rejects the Marxist Social Justice doctrines. I truly hope so. Its a government controlled race to the bottom.

My comment on your quote above is that ultra-Right is the opposite of government control and power. From a pure Left vs Right perspective, Left is government power (Marxist/Fascist/Socialist) and Right is NO government power (Anarchy). Somewhere toward the left is Democracy (mob rule) and toward the right is a Constitutional Republic (rule by law).

45
posted on 03/24/2013 2:26:40 PM PDT
by uncommonsense
(Conservatives believe what they see; Liberals see what they believe.)

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